US President Donald Trump named India and China among key reasons for his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, a landmark international deal struck to cut greenhouse gases and save the planet's environment.

Donald Trump said that nations such as China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris Agreement. He said that the agreement was unfair to the United States. (Reuters/PTI file)

US President Donald Trump named India and China among key reasons for his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, a landmark international deal struck to cut greenhouse gases and save the planet’s environment. The US President announced his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and renegotiate the deal that was agreed upon by over 190 countries during the previous Obama administration. Interestingly, Trump said that nations such as China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris Agreement. He added that the agreement on climate change was unfair to the United States, as it badly hit its businesses and jobs. The Donald Trump speech could become the chief talking point when he meets PM Modi, as the latter is expected to visit the White House soon.

Trump has said that India would get billions of dollars for meeting its commitment under the Paris Agreement and it along with Beijing would double its coal-fired power plants in the years to come, gaining a financial advantage over the United States. Trump’s statement went like: “China will be able to increase these emissions by a staggering number of years-13. They can do whatever they want for 13 years. Not us. India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries.” He added that the Paris Accord “is very unfair, at the highest level” to the United States.

Signed in 2015, the Paris Accord came at a time scientists urged now-or-never measures to combat global warming. The agreement took nearly three years to negotiate, with countries fighting to ensure each bore the least cost of climate change while balancing tangible steps that were a must. US President Donald Trump considers climate change a ‘hoax’. He had once tweeted that the concept of global warming was ‘created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive’. During his first foreign trip that concluded recently, Trump was under immense pressure to uphold the Paris Agreement, not just from the world leaders but also Pope Francis. However, the efforts to persuade Trump failed. German Chancellor Merkel said it was “very unsatisfactory”.

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At present, US is the second-largest carbon polluter of the world. It is feared that US withdrawal from the accord would prompt other countries to withdraw as well. However, PM Narendra Modi has assured India’s participation for the global cause. Climate Interactive, which tracks global emissions and pledges, estimates that if the US doesn’t reach its Paris Accord goal, an additional 0.3°C will be added to global warming by the end of the century. However, Trump says, “The rest of the world applauded when we signed the Paris Agreement. They went wild. They were so happy. For the simple reason that it put our country, the United States of America, which we all love, at a very, very big economic disadvantage.”

In the accord, India and China have been able to protect their own interests as it still has a long way to go before it can match up with rich nations in terms of carbon emmissions. According to the agreement, most of the responsibility has to be shared by historical emitters and developed countries like the US. China and India have also defied pressure from richer countries to pay for climate change mitigation, and those funds would go to the most vulnerable nations and for technologies that will make the environment cleaner. Both the nations had argued that they were among the most-affected countries. Meanwhile, Paris agreement’s predecessor Kyoto protocol was made only for the rich nations to take action to save the world from greenhouse gases. But unlike Trump’s assertions, India and China too agreed to compromises, like agreeing to lower emission reduction goals for rich nations.

The impact of the US exit on global warming will be severe. Climate Interactive, which tracks global emissions and pledges, estimates that if the US doesn’t reach its Paris Accord goal, an additional 0.3°C will be added to global warming by the end of the century.

apparently the percent sign is not going on the screen. It should read 97 PERCENT

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shooting shark

Jun 5, 2017 at 10:16 am

I meant to say 97 , in the other comment

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shooting shark

Jun 5, 2017 at 10:15 am

You global warming freaks are going to destroy the planet. Co2 is plant food and if you get Co2 levels down to 200 ppm, 97 of the plants and trees will die. Co2 does not rise up into the atmosphere and create a greenhouse blanket that traps heat, because it can't. Co2 is heavier than air and goes down, not up. The specific gravity of Co2 is 1.5 while the sg of air is 1.0. You can put Co2 in a water pitchure and pour it on the ground like water. God made this planet and he knew what he was doing. He made the earth to have a high Co2 and he made the gas heavy where it would remain low and feed the plants. There are now warnings for people going into caves or underground storm drains, because high levels of Co2 displace the o2. It sinks down, and where did this nonsense come from that it rises. It's basic science, it's heavier than air.

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Sam Richberg

Jun 4, 2017 at 1:40 pm

Congratulations to Donald Trump for exposing the Indian con game! India is now doomed and has been relegated to begging again as Prime Minister Modi is showing. It's a grim future for their 500 Million people below the poverty line. It's good to see Indians going back home and Americans getting the technical jobs they deserve! America is becoming great again!

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kushal kumar

Jun 4, 2017 at 1:22 pm

The Sunday Tribune of 4 June 2017 , has carried a news item report by Vibha Sharma with le " US pullout may help India ' lead at global level' in its World/Nation section page , opining that " India and China are now in a position to take leadership role in the international negotiations on climate change , fil in the vacuum created by the exit of the US from the Paris climate accord. While it may be for future to tell as to whether we actually gain from the said scenario , at least a promising opportunity whatsoever has come to India as well, coinciding with this writer's prophesy made last year in October - November 2016 , and briefly brought above.

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Vishwas Patil

Jun 2, 2017 at 12:53 pm

The problem with a businessman as President. He cannot see beyond immediate billions and has no place for give & take policy. Obama was far better except for his doubtful Islamists policies. Wonder President Trump understands that it is America that sucks wealth from all over the world and not the other way round. Such rants may eventually make countries ditch Dollar as Reserve Currency and prefer trade in bilateral currencies. Then Dollar may find its real depth. American trade deficit is too huge: $ 502 billion for 2016! US never bothered for the deficit as Dollar itself is a Global currency so there is nothing like 'foreign debt'. If it changes, then US is doomed. President Trump seems to be accelerating the process. The real threat is WW3 as America's ultimate solvo is war to retain the pivotal position.